


Just Go With It (The Asexual Edition)

by TheLollipopKing



Category: Supernatural
Genre: ALMOST Character Death, Alternate Universe - College/University, Coming Out, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Gabriel is Bad at Feelings, Gay Sam Winchester, M/M, Ruby won't stop hitting on Sam, So Sam improvises, Stalker Ruby, tw: fire, tw: stalking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-08
Updated: 2016-11-09
Packaged: 2018-08-29 22:42:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8508376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLollipopKing/pseuds/TheLollipopKing
Summary: After Ruby tries to corner him for the hundredth fucking time, Sam decides to take matters into his own hands. Matters that may or may not involve kissing the first guy he sees. Which just so happens to be the guy he's been crushing on for three years... Whoops.(Here you go Bean)





	1. The Time Sam Fucked Up and Actually Got Away With It

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Just Go With It](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7831867) by [TheLollipopKing](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLollipopKing/pseuds/TheLollipopKing). 



> Disclaimer - this is based off another fic that I wrote, and because of this there are still mentions of sex in this fic, since it would take away from the plot of I left them out. It is also tailored to suit one specific asexual - that being my best friend - and as there are some mentions of sex, it could make someone who wants to read this, IE someone very uncomfortable with the idea of sex like an asexual person, uncomfortable. Please proceed with caution if this applies to you. Regardless, enjoy!

Ruby just can't take a hint, can she?

It's not like it's only the first time she's done this. It's been at least a hundred, maybe a thousand times she's done this now, or at least it feels that way to Sam. So here he is, trapped in a broom cupboard with Ruby's tongue jammed half way down his throat, trying to think of all the millions of ways he could get out of this. Sam briefly wonders if there's a polite way to scream "I'M GAY. LEAVE ME ALONE." before dismissing the thought. It's not like she'd listen anyway. How could she? He practically has a mouthful of her. And it's not like he's exactly out to anyone other than Dean.

He finally pushes away for a moment and smiles sheepishly. "How about we just hug?"

She rolls her eyes and smiles a bit, leaning in to kiss him again, but Sam easily dodges her. "Or we could play chess or something?"

That gets Ruby to stop. "Chess?" She raises an eyebrow at him. "I'm offering you the night of your life, and you want to play chess?"

"It's a pretty good game." Sam mumbles.

She steps back. "I know what's going on here."

Sam gulps. "You do?"

"You're a virgin." She smirks and folds her arms, looking as if she thinks she's sussed him out.

Sam frowns at her. "I'm not..." He trails off. Maybe... This is perfect. It might even hold Ruby off for a few months. "Ready. I'm not ready. Yeah. I think I need some time." He thinks again and quickly stammers out. "And-And maybe some space."

Ruby bites her lip, seemingly thinking it over. "I don't think I can keep away from you for too long, Sammy-"

"It's Sam." Sam buts in.

" _Sam._ " She gives him a look. "But sure. Take some time to get ready, yeah? I won't wait forever." She winks at him, and before he knows it, she's walked off.

_Fuck_

* * *

It takes Ruby exactly eleven days to get bored of waiting for Sam. In fact, Sam can tell the exact moment the switch flips for her, when he's stood leaning against a tree on school grounds, desperately trying to avoid her eyes. There's one split second where he lets his guard down, laughs a little too loudly at something one of the guys nearby says, and she locks onto him like a lioness stalking her prey.

Sam looks around frantically, trying desperately to think of something he can do,  _anything._

_Shit! Fuck, okay. How can I look as gay as possible?_

Sam's too deep in thought to register the guy who comes over to him until he taps Sam on the shoulder.

"Kid-mphh"

Sam kisses him without even thinking about it. The guy is pretty short and probably taken very much by surprise, but Sam  _really_ doesn't have time to explain. He just hopes Ruby is the only one who sees it.

"Just go with it." Sam says against the other man's mouth, still having absolutely no idea who this stranger is and slightly scared he might get a restraining order from this guy.

The other man obviously isn't too bothered, because Sam's being kissed back and getting himself dragged closer by his belt loops. The man's lips are warm and slightly chapped, and it's so much better than any of the times Ruby kissed him, that's for certain.

They kiss until Sam's desperate for air, pulling back enough to get a good look at the man's face.

And fuck.

Gabriel looks back at him, with a broad smirk spread across his features, and pulls gently at Sam's belt loops, motioning over to their left.

His heart hammering in his chest, Sam looks over just in time to see Ruby staring at him in shock before darting behind a tree. A mixture of guilt, worry, confusion and a general sense of  _oh fuck I kissed the one guy I have a thing for and he kissed me back and oh fucking fuck is this even real?_ resides low in his gut. He turns back to Gabriel. Gabriel, the cocky arrogant bastard who'd inadvertently stolen his heart, wearing a shit-eating grin in his wake. Gabriel, the guy who used to be the cute nerd in the back of the room, but is now one of the most popular kids at the damn college due to a few harmless pranks that blew way out of proportion.

"Thanks for the morning grope, kiddo." He chuckles and dammit, that should be illegal.

"Shut up Gabriel." Sam groans, still trying to silently process his internal freak out.

It's at that moment that Ruby decides to appear out of nowhere and slap Sam across the face. "Ow!"

"You bastard! You complete bastard!" Ruby glares hard at him. "Is this your boyfriend then?"

Sam just stares at her, trying to think of something to say that will keep both of them happy.

Gabirel beats him to it. "Yup. 'Fraid so, kiddo." Gabriel grins and leans up to kiss Sam's cheek. "Are we done here?"

Sam's cheeks burn red hot, but he tries his best to ignore it.

"I knew it. I fucking knew it!" Ruby spits. "I thought you just had a stupid crush on the guy. I thought... I thought you'd come to your senses." 

Gabriel raises an eyebrow at Sam, who is pointedly not looking at him. "Turns out it's a bit more than a stupid crush." He slaps on a big, fake smile and turns to Ruby. "Can you go now so I can make out with my boyfriend already?"

Ruby shakes her head. "I don't... You're lying!"

"Why the hell would I lie about something like this?" Sam finally finds his voice again, his mind whirring with any way to fix this situation. 

Apparently he doesn't think of it fast enough, because next thing he knows, Ruby almost growls and pins him up against a tree. "You listen to me, Winchester. If I think for even a  _second_ that this whole cutesy gay romance you've got going on is fake, I'm gonna make you pay for breaking my heart. Understand?"

Sam nods dumbly, seeing Gabriel's face drop out of the corner of his eye.

This seems to satisfy her; she takes one last look at the two of them and stalks off.

The moment she's out of earshot, Sam hurries to explain. "It was meant to be a one time thing, I swear, I didn't mean to drag you into this, I just... This girl's been getting on my ass lately."

"If by 'getting on your ass' you mean feeling you up at every possible opportunity, then sure." Gabriel laughs again, probably at the look Sam gives him. "What? She isn't exactly secretive about banging you, Samalam."

"Oh God." Sam doesn't know whether to laugh or get angry at the whole situation. A crazy ex-girlfriend who was never his girlfriend in the first place trying to steal away his fake boyfriend, who he kinda wants to be his actual boyfriend. Is this his life now?

“Samster sugar, it looks like you inadvertently got yourself a boyfriend.” Gabriel slaps him on the back, snapping him out of his train of thought.

“Right, yes, um. Yeah." _Well done there, Sam, gold star._  "Wait, you’re okay with all this?”

Gabriel shrugs. “Meh, I mean, I need to find a way to get Kali off my ass, you’re attractive, I’m attractive. As far as I’m concerned, I ain’t seeing a catch here.”

Sam looks at him for a moment. "You think I'm attractive?"

Gabriel laughs. It makes Sam's heart do a pathetic little flutter. "Sammich, there are probably Greek Gods that would find you attractive. Don't sell yourself short." He nudges Sam with his elbow. "So, what d'you say I take you out, go all romantic on you."

Sam bites his lip. "Uh... Yeah. Ruby might see us, so..."

"My thoughts exactly." Gabriel smiles and takes Sam's hand, bringing it up to his mouth and kissing it.

"Sap." Sam tries to play it off, tries to remember that this is _fake_ and very  _not real._

"You love it." Gabriel winks at him.

Words fail Sam. He's surprised he's managed talking to Gabriel this long, to be honest.

Gabriel breaks the silence. "Tomorrow at 8:00. Wear something casual. I'll pick you up from your dorm room, which is..." He looks at Sam expectantly.

Oh. Right. He's meant to respond to that. "214." His voice has gone alarmingly high, much to his dismay.

"Awesome. See you then!" He grins and turns, leaving Sam alone on the grounds to fully take in what just happened.

A fake date with the guy of his dreams. What's the worst that could happen?


	2. Hideout

7:58 shines ruefully at Sam from his bedside clock. 7:58, AKA  _two minutes until your doom Sam._ He feels like he's been staring at that stupid clock forever, its loud ticking hand taunting him as every second goes by. What was he thinking? He can't go on a fake date with Gabriel, of all people. It's ludicrous. Especially given the circumstances.

He almost jumps out of his skin when his phone buzzes in his pocket, fumbling madly to try and answer the damn thing. It has small buttons and fuck you he's nervous, okay?

When Dean name appears on the screen, he holds back a sigh of disappointment and answers it. "Hey man, what's happening?"

"How've you been Sammy?" There's a few clunks in the background, meaning Dean's probably at work, helping to fix up some old cars.

Sam shrugs, before realising that Dean can't actually see him. "Uh, great. You okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Dean laughs on the other end of the phone. "Oh, Cas says hi by the way."

"Hey Cas." Normally Sam would take any opportunity to tease Dean relentlessly about his big gay crush on the garage's most frequent customer (Sam's fairly certain that Cas breaks his car deliberately so he gets to see Dean more), but his clock has just turned to 8:00 and Gabriel could be here any damn minute. "Listen Dean, it's great that you called, really. I'm glad. But er... I've got... I've got some stuff I need to take care of."

"You okay? Are you in trouble?" Dean's tone gets more serious, and he can hear Cas' little mutters in the background.

"I'm fine, just um... I've got a date in a minute." The words feel foreign on his tongue. A date. With Gabriel. He's still trying to wrap his head around that one.

He can practically hear Dean's grin. "Who's the guy?" There's a pause. "...Or girl?"

"Definitely a guy." Sam chuckles. "His name's Gabriel."

"Gabriel huh?... Oh wait, hang on a sec, Cas is trying to... Yeah, he wants to know if this dude's last name is Novak?"

Sam freezes. "Yeah, actually" 8:02. God dammit, he needs to get off the phone  _now._ "Dean I've really gotta-"

There's three sharps knocks on the door, cutting him off.

"Sammy?" Dean's voice shouts on the other end.

Sam hangs up. He can apologise to Dean later. Sam takes a slow, deep breath. He's got this.

Another knock, and Sam remembers that, oh yeah, you have to actually open the door and use  _words_ and  _talk to him._

He unlocks the door with shaky fingers. "Hey Gabri-" He's cut of when Gabriel practically pins him against the door frame and assaults his mouth. Now that he actually knows who he's kissing, Sam can fully appreciate just how amazing it is. Sam forgets his surprise in favour of picking Gabriel up and flipping their positions, kissing Gabriel like they're the last two people on earth and this is the last form of human contact he's ever going to get. Gabriel's legs automatically wrap around Sam's waist as Sam pins his back against the wall. By the happy little sound that escapes Gabe, Sam reckons he's more than on board with the situation.

Gabriel is the first to pull back. His face has gone a bit pink, and he looks thoroughly debauched. The little grin on his face is enough to send Sam's heart skyrocketing. "Damn, that was hot." He laughs, his eyes twinkling. "We wanted to pull this whole 'madly in love' thing off, right?"

"Who said anything about us being madly in love?" Sam smiles, but he'll admit that the comment is like a stab in the chest.

"I don't think the black haired fury will accept anything less. Plus, that was pretty fun." He waggles his eyebrow.

Sam snorts. "Have you ever even been in love before?"

"Maybe once or twice. Why, you thinking about stealing my heart?" Gabriel winks at him, his bottom lip between his teeth and fuck that shouldn't suit him so well but it does.

"You wish." Sam smirks right back, careful not to let any of what he's actually feeling show. "Where're you taking me?"

"Somewhere private, secluded, free from prying eyes." He teases, taking Sam's hand in his.

Sam squeezes it. "So, a bedroom? You want to have your wicked way with me?" He laughs a bit, trying to play it off as a joke and hoping to every God there is that Gabriel takes it that way. Not that Gabriel ever takes anything seriously.

"I would prefer to have my wicked way with you somewhere far more interesting," Gabriel winks again, "but I guess you're right. It's kind of a bedroom. Well guessed, kiddo."

Sam's mind goes to static. "...What now?"

Gabriel puts a finger on Sam's mouth to shut him up. The whole sight must be pretty comical. "All will be revealed soon, sweetheart. Trust me."

"Pretty sure the last person that trusted you with anything was never seen again." His words are muffled by Gabriel's finger

Gabriel rolls his eyes and takes his finger away, his other hand still clenching Sam's. It's funny how something so small can feel so perfect, at least to Sam - he's not entirely sure how Gabriel's feeling about the whole situation.

 

It's surprising how fast they get there, considering how far away it looks when Gabriel eventually decides to point it out. It's not too far into a forest nearby, hidden by an array of stinging nettles which are pretty difficult to dodge, especially given Sam's height. He grumbles a little bit when he gets stung on the back of his hand, but he doesn't complain loud enough for Gabriel to hear. Gabriel himself seems to be lost in thought anyway, and Sam really wishes he could read minds so he could find out what the hell is going on in that head of his. Sam avoids another bush and looks at Gabriel. "How far now?"

"We're practically there." Gabriel smiles at Sam. "Almost... We're here!"

Sam pushes back a branch and looks around in awe. The trees have been decorated with small strings, hanging a collection of little notes here and there in a handwriting Sam doesn't recognise. There's a small alcove with comfy seats arranged in a circle, which are quickly illuminated by some battery powered lights in the shape of little love hearts. Sam feels like he just walked into a picture on Pinterest.

"Okay, so, romantic lighting, check! No candles, because of the fire hazard." Gabriel looks at Sam indignantly when he gets a look. "I'm not a hooligan, Samster."

"This is..." Sam struggles for the right word. "Oh my God, when did you have time to do all this?"

Gabriel looks at the ground. If Sam didn't know any better, he'd say it was almost bashful. "Actually uh... It's my little hideout, so to speak."

Sam does a full turn, taking the whole place in. "It's fucking incredible." Sam beams at Gabriel, who in turn laughs and folds his arm.

"You should feel privileged, Samsquatch. No one knows about it other than me and my little brother. Little Ruby Riding Hood won't be sneaking around here either." Gabriel plonks himself down on one of the comfy chairs, that do, in all fairness, look inviting, especially after their short walk. "How did you manage to bag that stalker anyhow?"

Sam sits down beside him. "I think it started when I went to one of Crowley's parties," he looks to Gabriel. "you know, the one where you and Balthazar ran into the pool stark naked?"

"Last year?" Gabriel's eyebrows shoot up. "And she doesn't know that you're gay?"

Sam shakes his head. "Nah, she only found that out when I, umm..." He hopes he's not blushing, but it damn well feels like it. "When we kissed."

"Which time?" Gabriel teases.

"The first time, dickhead." Sam laughs and leans back on the chair.

"Sam! Is that anyway to talk to your boyfriend?" Gabriel pulls an almost outraged face. It's very clear he's joking though. "Anyway... I thought we might go over some of the rules of this."

"Rules? Since when did you play by the rules?" Sam looks at Gabriel, a tad surprised.

Gabriel holds up his hands. "I know, I know, I'm being out of character. But c'mon Sammich, I wanna make sure you're comfortable with all this."

And that's... surprising sweet of Gabriel. Sam holds back a smile, not wanting to break the mood Gabriel's set.

"So, I'm thinking, sex thirteen times a week?" Aaaand the mood's broken. Gabriel seems completely unfazed by it, wearing that stupid grin again and patiently waiting for Sam to respond.

Sam laughs a bit. "Isn't that a little excessive?"

"Sammy, that's me cutting the number  _down._ " He gives Sam a long look, making all the hair on Sam's body stand on end.

 _He's kidding. He's not being serious._ "It's just Sam." His voice croaks a bit.

Gabriel leans forward, most likely trying to get a better look at Sam, but he's staring at Sam something fierce and it's making the air feel a lot hotter.

"Okay then, Sam. Let's talk business." Gabriel says. "What's your experience with this girl? How stalkery is she?"

Sam thinks for a moment. "The worst thing I ever caught her doing was waiting outside the boys locker room for me."

"That's not so bad. Heck, I've done worse." Gabriel grins.

"It was half past three in the morning and I was stood in a towel." Sam laughs. "Okay, I'm making it sound worse than it was. But still. She's... A little insane."

"Sammich, Genghis Khan was 'a little insane', doesn't mean I'd want him stalking me." Gabriel leans back again. "And that's the worst?"

Sam nods. "I think so."

"Okie dokie. Soooo we need to convince this bitch that we're madly, hopelessly, without thought or reason, head over heals, til death do us part in love. Think you can do that?"

"Not like I've got much choice, is it?" Sam sighs, pretending that this is the last thing he ever wanted.

"That's the spirit!" Gabe stands up and turn to Sam, looking as if he's going to start pacing any second. "Where to start is the question."

Fuck. How is this even real? Still, Sam supposes, when in Rome... "We should probably look at social parameters, come to a decent conclusion as to how far we're willing to push our physical boundaries."

"Gee, I feel wooed already." Gabriel snarks. "Okay, like what?"

"We could start with... Okay, got one. How long are we gonna do this for?"

Gabriel closes his eyes and looks up. "Er... This is our last year, so I guess when we leave?"

Sam hums in agreement. "That makes sense... Are all your schemes this elaborate?"

"I'll remind that this is  _your_ fault, Samsquatch." Gabriel gives him a pointed look. "And for the record, yes."

Huffing, Sam looks up at him. "How about this. We treat this like a normal relationship, and we make it up as we go. And  _no_ surprise engagements."

"Well you've ruined the surprise now!" Gabriel sniggers. "Fine. Guess it takes the pressure off a bit."

"Speaking of, why are you... Y'now..."

"Why am I what?"

"Being..." Sam bites his lip, thinking. "Thoughtful."

Gabriel snorts. "Glad to know you think of me so highly."

"That's not what I meant. I mean... Why does it matter to you so much that I'm comfortable?"

The question visibly hurts Gabriel, and Sam's ready to take it back before Gabriel quietly says. "Contrary to popular belief Sam, I'm not a total monster."

 _Sam._ No Sammich, or Sammykins, or Samsquatch, or Sammich, or heck, even Sammy. It hits Sam pretty suddenly that he's judged Gabriel before he's even gotten to know him. Now he thinks about it, he thinks he brain regards the chubby nerdy kid from his science class, and this cool confident cocky asshole, as two entirely separate people.

He grabs a remote and points it at the lights surrounding them, clicking them off. It's not too dark, so it's not like they can't see, but it confuses Sam a bit. "We should head back." Gabriel holds a hand out for Sam to take. "I've got class early tomorrow, and so do you."

Sam just nods sadly and takes Gabriel's hand. The walk back doesn't feel nearly as magical as the walk there.


	3. Rumours Travel Fast

"So, are you like, gay or something?"

"Didn't know you took it up the ass, Winchester." 

"Who wears the pants in this relationship?"

"Who's the guy and who's the girl?"

"I've always wanted a gay best friend!"

"We should totally go shopping some time!"

"Oh my God, that is so cute! Can I be your surrogate? Our babies would look adorable!"

"You don't look gay. Are you sure?"

"You're gay? Look man, um... I support you and all, I just don't wanna  _see_ it, y'now?"

"Good on you, man. Women are bitches, right?"

"You're gay? Y'now, my cousin Jake's gay. Do you know Jake? Y'now, gay Jake?"

 

Sam had forgotten just how fast rumours can spread around campus. Sure, Ruby isn't exactly the most reliable source, but when gossip's this good, or whatever, people can't help but butt in. And for the most part, Sam doesn't mind. It's kind of liberating, in a weird way. And despite a lot of the ignorant commentary, most of it isn't too bad. To be honest, he does't exactly know what he was expecting. He just hopes Gabriel doesn't have it so bad.

Speaking of whom, where is Gabriel anyway?

Since their date, Sam has been itching to talk to Gabriel, to try to explain what he meant to say that day. But Gabriel has been weirdly absent all morning, so it's difficult. Sam tries not to dwell on it, any how. After being harassed by Ruby this morning - their dorm rooms are right next to each other, so it's pretty easy for her to do that - he thinks he needs a moment alone, in any case.

 

By lunch time, Sam's starting to get tetchy. Where the hell is he? He shakes his head and looks at the board menu. He had a lunch pass, so he could always go down town to the new café.

"Gabriel? This is Gabriel  _Novak_ you mean, right?"

The conversation is coming from just a few metres behind him, by his guess. Sam fights the urge to turn around and confront them about it.

"Yeah, apparently he's with some girl called Samantha."

Sam huffs a small laugh. The two - a girl and a boy - sound as though they're in his year. Or maybe the year below. It's hard to tell without looking at them.

"Samantha? But Gabriel's gay, isn't he?"

"Since when were you the Gabriel Novak expert, Hannah? ...You fancy him or something?"

"Ew! No!" The girl, Hannah, says in disgust.

"Isn't that him?"

Sam spins around and sure enough, Gabriel is walking down the hall, spotting Sam in seconds.

"Samster!" Gabriel shouts and walks over to him, grinning. "You will not believe how happy I am to see you."

Sam's mouth goes dry at that, but he tries to stay focused. "Listen, uh, about yesterday-"

"Forget about it." Gabriel waves it off, grinning. "I wasn't myself. That wasn't what I wanted to talk about, anyway. I've got a slight... Situation."

Sam raises his brow. "You okay?"

"Peachy, except for the ant infestation in my dorm room." He laughs. "Yeah, some newbie prankster thought that it was a good idea to get me back for something I did. Point is, I need a place to crash tonight. And seeing as though you're my boyfriend..."

"Yeah, of course." Sam smiles at Gabriel. "It'll be like a sleepover." _Sleepover, really Sam? You're not some thirteen year old girls having a slumber party._ _Stupid stupid stu-_

Sam catches sight of Ruby out of the corner of his eye, as if things couldn't get any worse.

"I don't think we'll be doing much sleeping, if we're being honest here." Gabriel winks, and Sam's pretty sure Ruby heard it from the way her eyes widen.

"Are you sure? I mean, we do have pretty _thin walls_..." Sam darts his eyes from Gabriel to Ruby, trying to get Gabriel to notice her too.

"After all the shit we've had today, I don't care who hears us." Gabriel steps closer, completely oblivious.

Sam gives him a look, almost pleading with him to shut up. "I dunno, Gabriel. You're pretty loud in bed. I wouldn't want to bother anyone." Oh God, what if... What if Ruby listened out for it? He wouldn't put it past her. She's only next door, those wall are pretty thin; it would be the easiest thing in the world. Maybe he's being paranoid.

"Sammich, all either of us have had today is bother." Gabriel fiddles with Sam's over-shirt "And I just can't wait to rip this thing off you-"

Sam groans, interrupting him. "Someone could hear you." He looks around to check no one is listening in. Just Ruby.

Gabriel smirks. "You don't seem to mind too much." His eyes flick over Sam.

Sam's starting to feel lightheaded. He needs to get out of here before they make this any worse. "We should eat. Did you sign up for a lunch pass?"

Gabriel nods. "Only way I can escape this hellhole." He thinks for a moment. "Burgers in the hideout?"

"Burgers in the hideout."

* * *

"What are these things anyway?" Sam asks when they're sitting in the hideout, his voice muffled by the cheeseburger. Neither of them have any classes this afternoon, so they're in no real rush. He motions to the small notes hanging from the branches that he'd spotted the first time he came here.

Gabriel shakes his head. "Sorry, kiddo, I'm not giving you the whole sob story."

Ever since the day before, Sam's been hesitant to push anything. But curiousity takes the better of him. "Then give me the short version."

Gabriel hums, considering it. "Okay, sure. I ran away from home when I was 15, and they're the only things I took with me."

Sam perks up a bit. "Seriously?"

"Yup." Gabriel takes a gulp of his Pepsi. "This was my refuge, if you will."

Sam looks around more closely. From down here they're difficult to read, but he thinks he catches sight of the word 'Wendigo'. He turns back to Gabe. "I had no idea."

"No one did." Gabriel smiles. "My big brother even bribed social services to not search for me. Good thing he did, too." He shakes his head. "I'm surprised my dad is even allowed to have kids, if I'm being honest. My little brother, Cas, he ran away about a year after I did."

"Cas?" Sam thinks back to what Dean was saying on the phone. "As in, Castiel?"

Gabriel gives Sam a perplexed look. "Actually yeah. Know him?"

"Vaguely. My brother knows him though, Dean Winchester?"

With a laugh, Gabriel takes another swig of his Pepsi. "You mean Dean 'he has the greenest eyes I've ever seen' Winchester?" He mimics Cas' voice, unable to suppress his laughter.

Sam laughs too. "That bad, huh?" He bites his cheeseburger again, his stomach almost protesting.

"It's terrible! He's like a teenage girl trapped in a teenage girl's body." He grins. "'You nearly finished that burger?"

Sam shrugs. "I could eat it on the way back. What time is it?"

"Almost 5:00. Now, as much as I'd  _love_ to deflower you in a dark forest, it's really easy to trip up and we wanna be gone before the sun goes down." He takes Sam's hand almost like it's a routine. "Care to follow me into the black abyss? I promise I'll protect you from the monsters."

"My hero." Sam deadpans, getting to his feet. "What about the rubbish?"

Gabriel groans and lets go of Sam to pick up half the rubbish. "Gimme a hand here, Samsquatch. You're the brawn."

Sam comes over to help. "Which makes you...?"

"The brains, obviously." Gabriel nudges Sam. "Let's go."

Sam smiles softly, letting Gabriel have this one.

They walk back to Sam's dorm room, giggling like little kids over one thing or another. It's strange, but maybe... Maybe this is a good thing for them, this whole fake-relationship business. Sure, it isn't perfect, it's frustrating and so close to what he wants that thinking about the truth might just kill him, but for a moment, if he concentrates enough, he can convince himself that Gabriel wants him as badly as he wants Gabriel. And for a moment, however brief, Sam allows himself to forget. He sighs, content. 

 

 

 

 

"Here we are. Room 214." Sam smiles and unlocks the door, trying to think of anything other than the man next to him.

"Sammich." Gabriel nods over to stairs, where there's a distinct little clicking sound of high heels

Sam jolts. He and Gabriel look at each other and share a mutual look of understanding, and then Sam's popping the top few buttons on Gabriel's shirt. Gabriel is quick to respond and ruffles Sam's hair with his hand, pulling it away at the very moment Ruby walks into view.

"Hey Ruby." Sam smiles at her, taking his hands away from Gabriel's shirt. "Er, sorry. Didn't mean to give you an eyeful."

Ruby shakes her head. "It's fine." Her tone is clipped.

Gabe and Sam look at each other, silently deciding to get as far away from the situation as possible. Room 214 has never looked more inviting.

Sam closes the door behind them and curses. "Shit."

"What's the problem, Samalam?" Gabriel sits down on Sam's bed, kicking off his shoes.

"The _problem_ ," Sam grits out, "is that now Ruby thinks we're going to have sex. Which means, thanks to you going overboard in the lunch room, that she's gonna know we aren't and now she's gonna think we're faking this and-"

" _Breathe_ , Samsquatch." Gabriel interrupts him. He grins suddenly. "Get over here."

Sam frowns, "er..."

Gabriel gives Sam a look. It's needy and - God forbid - downright predatory. "Her wall joins to this one, right?"

"Yeah? So what?" Sam shivers at the look Gabriel's giving him, willing himself to get a grip. He still doesn't budge.

Gabriel smirks and leans back on his elbows. If Sam didn't know any better, he'd say that Gabriel's putting himself on display. "I have an idea."

"What'stheid-" he stops and tries again- "what's the idea?"

Gabriel beckons Sam closer with his finger. "Lie on top of me."

Sam's pretty sure he's never moved faster in his life. He stops short of putting his weight on Gabriel, and slowly presses against him, making sure Gabriel can still breathe. "Why am I doing this again?"

"Because,"  Gabriel whispers and puts a hand on the headboard, "it's more convincing." He bangs the headboard against the wall, giving Sam a cheeky little look.

And oh. _Oh_. Fake sex? With Gabriel? He tries to pinpoint the exact moment his life became some crazy fantasy.

He's really doing this. Sam gives Gabriel a quick nod

Apparently that's all that Gabriel needs, because before Sam knows it, he's going completely overboard, shouting obscenities and hitting the headboard against the wall. It's over exaggerated and Sam can't help but stifle a little laugh.

It's not too long before Sam joins in, making loud noises to accompany Gabriel's. He giggles under his breath and puts his hand on top of Gabriel's, ultimately falling a bit so he lands on top of Gabriel's chest.

Gabriel seems pretty unfazed by it, but slowly, without even realising it, things evolve. They've both forgotten about Ruby, forgotten that this is supposed to be fake, forgotten everything except the low moans and the occasional thunk of the headboard.

 

Afterwards, Sam slumps against Gabriel, his breath coming out in small pants. He smiles slightly and sinks down to rest his head on Gabriel's chest.

It takes Sam a few moments before he realises what just happened.

Sam scrambles up and stares at Gabriel with wide eyes. He wants to run, wants to hide away and never talk to Gabriel again, but another part of him wants to curl up into Gabriel's arms and shield himself from the world.

"Samsquatch?" Gabriel says tentatively. He looks like he's about to say something, but the look's gone within seconds. "I think we both need showers after that. Wanna go first?"

Sam nods, still a little out of it. "Shouldn't we talk about this?"

Gabriel looks at him, smiling softly. "What is there to talk about?"

Sam gives Gabriel a look. "Gabriel, we just-"

"I know, I was there," Gabriel looks up at Sam, "alright, er... How about you take that shower, and then we'll talk about this, yeah?"

Sam smiles a little. He can't help but be hopeful, even if his brain is telling him that this is all some huge mistake and that Gabriel would never want anything serious, especially not with him. He trails off to the bathroom, feeling Gabriel's eyes bore into him with every step.

Sighing, he hops in the shower and groans when the hot water hits his skin. At least some things in his life are good.


	4. Anguish and The ADC

They don't talk about it.

It's not just Gabriel's fault, to be fair. After they've both taken showers, and Gabriel's gotten into a pair of Sam's pyjamas - which completely drown him - they both find that they're really too tired to talk about what happened. That doesn't stop them falling asleep lying next to each other on Sam's bed.

It continues like this for days. They fall asleep and wake up next to each other, Gabriel cooks breakfast, they go to school together (the first time Sam sees Ruby after that night is hilarious and has them both laughing for ages, but that's as close as it gets to talking about it), then they come back and watch movies until Sam can't keep his eyes open any longer.

That is, until day five into their routine, when Sam wakes up with Gabriel snug against him, snoring soundly. Gabriel's chest rises and falls slowly, the sun's rays just shining over them both. Sam smiles and gets out of the bed, carefully climbing over Gabriel, who grunts a little in his sleep. He chuckles and gets into the bathroom. Gabriel Novak will definitely be the death of him.

 

Gabriel is on the phone when Sam comes out the bathroom. He leans in the doorway, not wanting to interrupt.

"Balthazar, calm down. What happened?" Gabriel bites his bottom lip for a moment. It's almost eerie how serious and calm he looks. "Uh huh. Is he okay?... Can't dad just bail him out? He's done it before... Great,  _now_ he decides to be a responsible parent... Yeah, okay, what about Michael? Shouldn't he be doing something about this?... Figures. Raphael?... I don't care if he's in Russia right now, it's his brother for shits sake... Okay, alright, _fine._ When should I come?... He's where?... How the fuck am I gonna get there, I don't even have a drivers licence... Yeah, but I can't ask  _Sam..._ Yes, he's my boyfriend, but it doesn't mean squat. No one wants to be stuck in a car with me for 3 or 4 hours..." His lips quirk up. "I'll figure it out, alright?... I know. Why can't you do it, anyway?... A date? With who?... Wow. Didn't think she was your type."

Sam walks over and taps him on the shoulder. "Coffee?" 

Gabriel grins and nods at him. "Seriously, Jody Mills? You means the one that found you on pot when you were 17?... Jesus, Balthazar, you could have ended up like Lucifer, and then where would you be, hmm?... Okay kiddo, I've gotta run. Check you later." He hangs up. "Damn, you look hot in a towel, kid." He grins wide at Sam.

Sam smiles. "Thanks, I guess." He leans on the counter. "Where am I driving you then?"

"Apart from up the wall?" He laughs. "Or maybe into one?"

"Gabe." Sam reaches over to grab some coffee cups, waiting patiently for Gabriel to respond.

After a moment, Gabriel sighs. "Arizona, if you're up for it."

It isn't completely out of reason. It's Saturday, so they can easily get there and back before dark. "Sure. Not like I've got anything better to do."

To say Gabriel looks surprised is an understatement. "Uh, okay. Great. You sure you're okay with this?"

Sam frowns. "Uh... Yeah?" It's only a car ride. What the hell is Gabriel so surprised about? "I mean, we are dating."

"Yeah, but... Wow. Guess I didn't take you for that sort of guy, kiddo." Gabriel nudges his with his elbow.

"What's the worst that could happen?" Sam wants to ask what kind of drugs Gabe is on to think that this is at all unreasonable, but he doesn't.

"Uh, try everything? I mean, what if one of us get hurt?"

And oh.  _Oh._ So that's while Gabriel is being weird about this. He wants to have the talk. Of course the twit can't just  _say_ that. "I wanna try anyway. We need to do this."

"Do we?" Gabriel breathes a laugh despite himself. "I feel like this is all gonna blow up in our faces."

"It might." By this time, Sam's finished making the coffee. He hands it to Gabriel as he talks. "It might not."

Gabriel laughs again and puts the coffee on the side. "Jesus kid, you have some fucked up priorities."

Before Sam can ask what the hell that's supposed to mean, Gabriel's grabbing his coat. "Wait, now?"

"Before I change my mind. Let's go." Gabriel holds out a hand for Sam. Another part of their little routine now.

"What about the coffee?" Sam puts his coffee down.

"Screw coffee. We need to do this. You said it yourself."

"And we can't here?" He looks at Gabriel in utter confusion and disbelief. What the hell has gotten into him?

"You high or something kiddo? We've gotta go to Arizona. We can grab some snacks and talk on the way, if you want." Gabriel smiles and zips up his coat.

Something's not right. Why Arizona? What even  _was_ that conversation with Balthazar? What does any of that have to do with the talk that they should have had ages ago? The whole thing is making Sam's head spin. Regardless of what he thinks, Gabriel's giving him this look like he's the only drop of water in a desert; Sam's completely powerless to refuse. So he just nods, and they're in the car within minutes. Gabriel has taken the liberty of grabbing a spare change of clothes ("We're only gonna be gone for a few hours Gabe." "We'll need them, trust me."), as many packets of sweets as he can, and a salad because he 'doesn't want Sam taking what's rightfully his'.

"Okay, if the Sat Nav doesn't fuck us over, we'll be at the ADC in no time." Gabriel smiles and puts the Sat Nav on its holder.

Sam doesn't think he wants to know what an ADC is.

_Drive 1.4 miles, then turn left._

* * *

They talk very little. It's not for lack of anything to say, they're both just appreciating the silence for once. Sam has a feeling that Gabriel is just working up the courage to start having the talk. He gets it, really. It's not like there's an easy way to say it.

After about 3 hours though, it simply gets too much. "Gabriel, we need to talk about this."

Gabriel just nods. "I know, I'm being crazy, and this is probably the stupidest thing I've ever done or ever will do, and I'm gonna regret it-"

"Regret it?" Sam interrupts him, his heart sinking. Of course Gabriel regrets it.

"Who am I kidding? No, I won't." He sighs. "How is this my life, kid?"

Sam's chest is aching, his pulse skyrocketing. He tries to get a grip. "So where do we go from here?"

"Another left." Gabriel points.

"No, I mean... What does this mean to you?" Sam takes the left, watching Gabriel every few glances.

Gabriel shakes his head. "It's... It's important, y'now? I mean... Shit, do we have to talk about this? Can't it wait?"

After a moment, Sam nods. "Okay. Later?"

"Later." Gabriel agrees.

The rest of the drive is silent.

 

_You have reached your destination._

Sam looks over to Gabriel. "Where the hell are we?"

Gabriel smiles slightly at him. "The ADC. Just wait here, I'll be two seconds. Then drive as fast as you can, got it?"

"Um." Sam starts, but Gabriel's already got out of the car.

Sam rests his head on the steering wheel, the conversation they had still ringing in his ears.  _Gabriel said it's important to him. Gabriel said that Sam's important. Gabriel said that he didn't regret it. Gabriel was going crazy, because of him. Because of Sam._

He still has no idea what this whole ADC business is though.

Still, it could be much worse. The guy he's been crushing on for years practically just confessed his feelings. In hindsight, he could be worse off. Sam looks up at the building Gabriel just walked into.

_Arizona Department of Corrections_

What the hell is Gabriel doing at a prison?

Suddenly Gabriel's back and pushing someone into the back seat. "Start driving! Go go go!"

Sam sits in complete shock, unable to move. The man has blonde hair and a similar complexion to Gabriel, though Sam's completely overlooked that in favour of staring at the orange jumpsuit the man is currently atoning.  _Are we seriously breaking someone out of-_

"Floor it, Sammich!" Gabriel shakes him out of his trance and and it's all Sam can do not to throw up. He steps on it, heart pounding in his ears.

"What the fuck, Gabe!?" Sam screams at him. He's not even thinking. "What the fuck did you drag me into!?"

Gabriel is breathing hard, ignoring Sam. He hands the man in the back seat the clothes. "Get changed. We can drop you off in the next town over-"

"Gabriel!" Sam barks at him.

Gabriel flinches. "I said what we were doing-"

"When the fuck was this?" Sam snaps. "You didn't say a fucking word!"

"Didn't know you had such a foul mouth." Gabriel cracks a faint smile. "You heard me talk to Balthazar about it. We were literally talking about it on the way!"

Sam's mind races back to their conversation. He feels like he's just been kicked in the gut. Glancing at the man in the back of the car, who's quietly whistling to himself, Sam forces himself to think. "Who is that?" His voice shakes.

"My older brother, Lucifer." Gabriel looks back at the man. "You could say thank you, y'now."

The man, Lucifer, smiles crookedly. "Thanks, little brother. I owe you one."

"Try a million." Sam snarls.

Gabriel rolls his eyes. "Relax, will ya?"

"Relax? We just broke a man out of prison!" Sam yells.

"You didn't tell him?" Lucifer says as he takes off his shirt.

"I thought he knew!" Gabriel says, obviously getting a bit annoyed. "Sheesh, it's not like I'm the one who fucked up here."

And that's just the last straw. Sam pulls over, finally having enough. "Get out."

Lucifer folds his arms over his bare chest. "Where's your hospitality?"

Gabriel smiles a bit. "C'mon Sam, it's only a few miles-"

"Both of you. Out." Sam is almost growling.

Gabriel holds his hands up. "Okay, fine, getting out." With a small huff, Gabriel opens the door and steps out the car.

Lucifer shakes his head. "Calm down-"

" _NOW._ " If looks could kill, Sam would be sending out funeral cards to Lucifer's loved ones.

Shrugging and seemingly unfazed, like this sort of thing happens on a regular occurrence, Lucifer grabs his clothes and gets out the car.

No sooner has Lucifer taken a step of of the car that Sam is driving away from the two of them. The nerve of Gabriel, seriously? He thinks he can just waltz into Sam's life, break Sam's heart and have him waiting on his every need, does he? Is that it? Or maybe he's just using whatever he can get out of Sam, the hedonistic bastard. Either way, Sam is speeding down the road, a hard look on his face.

It's time he breaks a few rules of his own.


	5. Drinks

Dean meets Sam at the bar fairly quickly. It's a dingy little place - family owned, they always get a discount - but honestly Sam couldn't care much less if he tried. They could be in a damn museum for all Sam cares.

By the time Dean does actually show up though, Sam's already down to his fourth beer.

"Rough night, huh?" Dean slaps Sam on the back as he sits down next to him.

Sam looks up at his brother. "S'rt of." He looks back down at the bar. "How's Cas? Still not bonin' him?" He smiles slightly.

"Jees Sammy, how drunk are you?" Dean sits down next Sam, looking somewhere between concerned and pitiful.

"'M not that drunk." He takes another sip of his beer. "Just a lil' bit."

Dean sighs and shakes his head. "What the hell happened to you?"

Sam gives a dry laugh. How the hell do you explain that the guy you have a thing for tricked you into breaking his brother out of prison? "Life. 'S what happened."

Dean looks at him for a long moment. "Okay, who am I killing?"

"Boyfriend's a jerk." He says the word jerk with a sort of 'oh' sound.

"That Gabriel? Cas' big bro?"

"Yup." He pops the p. "Stupid... Friggen idiot." He laughs. "'S not even my boyfriend."

Dean frowns. "What, you broke up?"

"We were never together." And Sam explains. It takes him about 20 minutes to go through everything, but when he's finally done (Dean looked particularly traumatised when Sam started going on about them in bed together), he feels a little bit more clear headed.

"I'm gonna fucking kill him..." Dean mutters, but Sam still keeps talking.

"I dunno man, I just..." Sam trails off a bit. "I really like him, y'now? I didn't think he'd do something like that. What with, y'now, freaking breaking the law and all that shit, so I thought hey, why not get pissed and talk to my favourite brother?"

After a pause, Dean does a low whistle. "Fuck, you really are wasted."

Sam shakes his head drearily. "Not. Jus' real tired. Can you drive me?"

Dean nods and fishes his keys out of his pocket. "There's no way in hell I'm leaving Baby on her own out here on her own. I'll drive you. No throwing up in my damn car, got it?"

"Mm hmm," Sam gets to his feet, finding them not at all going in the places that he wants them to.

"Alright, c'mon little brother."

* * *

Sam didn't exactly know what to expect when he finally woke up, except maybe a killer hangover.

What he wasn't expecting was to be in his apartment, completely dressed and lying on someone's bed. A mug of coffee on the side with the words "Drink me :P" on a sticky note, as well as some aspirin. Someone (probably Dean) really took out all the stocks. Then again, he's pretty sure Dean hasn't used a tongue face since he was fourteen.

Now that he thinks about it, he doesn't know where the fuck he is. And that really didn't look like Dean's handwriting.

Quickly, he gets out of bed, quickly takes the aspirin and stumbles down the stairs, making sure that he doesn't fall over the piles of clothes in his haste to find out what the hell is going on.

The house is pretty... uh modern? That's putting it nicely. It's a complete mess. You'd think someone had just set a bomb of and then just bonked a house right on the ruins. There are stacks of old newspaper with pretty dodgy headlines like "Satan strikes in Florida: And We Thought It Couldn't Get Any Hotter!" and "Hell Raises Yet Again". Sam decides to ignore them for his own sanity. The ceiling is basically falling down at this point, really adding nicely to the whole "only an incredibly desperate homeless person would live here" vibe. The only thing worse than all this is the strange burning smell coming from the kitchen.

And fuck if that doesn't raise a few alarm bells.

Sam rushes into the kitchen, and he expects to see the face of some serial killer that kidnapped him for some sort silence of the lambs reenactment.

Again, he expects too much. What he does instead find is Lucifer in nothing but boxers desperately trying to save his scrambled egg.

The former might still be a possibility.

Fortunately for Lucifer, Sam's way too tired to care what he's doing in Warehouse 13 with Gabriel's prison brother. So he just sits down at the table and puts his face in his hands. "Where's Dean?"

"What, I don't get a 'hey, thanks for saving my ass Luci, it means a lot' or 'how'd you sleep?' even a fucking 'hello'?" Lucifer laughs. "Dean's fine. He left to go fetch your car from Arizona, I think. That was a few hours ago."

Sam gives him a bitch-face. "What happened last night?"

Lucifer laughs as he throws the scrambled eggs in the bin. "According to Deanie, you passed out in his car, then he bumped into to me in the street and gave me a lift. He was a real good sport." He looks over to Sam with a grin. "Then he went off on some 'unfinished business' and I haven't seen him since. I would _not_ like to be the guy who pissed him off."

Sam immediately knows who Lucifer's talking about. "I have to go." He gets to his feet, knocking the table with his knee. "Fuck um... Thanks for the aspirin. Sorry about kicking you to the curb and all that."

"I get it, it's cool." Lucifer shrugs, but Sam's already gone.

* * *

"What the fuck!" Gabriel holds the side if his face in his palm, which is burning a searing red.

"You put my baby brother through hell, you asshole!" Dean is almost growling at this point. "He didn't deserve any of it!"

"I didn't deserve to get left on the side of the road with my convict brother!" Gabriel snaps back, earning him another punch in the gut.

"Honestly? I don't give a flying fuck about you being butt-hurt or whatever," Dean glares, "you don't just drag someone into a prison break, fake-boyfriend or not."

Gabriel laughs sharply. "I didn't  _drag_ him into anything, dickwad."

Dean is about to aim another blow when Sam finally walks in.

"Dean..."

Slowly, Gabriel stares up at him, and if Sam didn't know any better he'd say that it was a look of shame. "Hello to you too."

Sam looks away from Gabriel, noticing a small pang in his stomach. "Dean, stop."

Dean is completely torn, and it shows. On the one hand, he's pretty obviously majorly pissed at Gabriel for putting his baby brother through this, but Sam's giving him those puppy dog eyes and Dean finds himself lowering his fist. "Fine. But I swear to God, you pull anything like this crap again-"

"I know, you'll kill me, yada yada." Gabriel grins and Sam just wants to punch him for it.

It's a miracle in itself that Dean doesn't rise to that. "You've got this, right Sam?"

Sam nods carefully. He puts a hand on Dean's shoulder and pulls him over to the door. "Thanks Dean." He shuts the door on him before he can say another word.

The moment the door shuts on Dean, Gabriel laughs and gets to his feet. "Jesus Christ, Sammich, you could have warned me that your brother is practically mentally unstable."

"You could have warned me about breaking your brother out of prison!" Sam shouts and winces, a shooting pain going through his head. God damn, he's never getting that drunk again. "Sorry... I don't wanna fight right now."

Gabriel snorts and ruffles Sam's hair. "Okay, we'll put the fight on pause until your hangover moves house. In the mean time," he smiles goofily, "coffee?"

Sam manages a small smile. "I could use a coffee."

Gabriel squeezes Sam's lower bicep in comfort (at least, Sam's pretty sure that's what it was meant to be. It could just be Gabriel feeling him up) and goes to start on the coffee. Sam suppresses a grin as he hears Gabriel's bare feet putter about the kitchen. This is  _so_ much better than arguing, Sam decides in an instant.

Speaking of instant and coffee, Gabriel returns quickly with a cup of - oh sweet Jesus, he's pretty sure that this coffee fell out of heaven with the smell it's giving off. And that's nothing compared to taste. It's indescribable and beautiful and rolls onto his tongue perfectly. He downs it in one, relishing it with a groan as is swirls down his throat.

The way Gabriel looks at him is pretty nice too. He chuckles at the foamy mustache that's made its way to Sam's upper lip. "You've got a bit of er..."

Sam frowns, letting a tiny smile onto his his face when he realises what Gabriel means. "What, you're not gonna kiss it away? I thought we were dating." A few months ago, Sam would never dream of saying something like that to Gabriel. Now though? It feels completely natural and ridiculous all at once.

Gabriel laughs a little and leans up on his tiptoes. "You're gonna have to stoop down a bit, Samsquatch. Unless you want me climbing you like a tree."

Sam reaaally doesn't want a crick in his neck, so he instead settles for hoisting Gabriel's legs up around his waist with a cheeky grin. They meet half way, their lips sliding together delicately. It's the opposite of impatient, but it's no less breathtaking. Gabriel's tongue sweeps out and licks away the frothy mustache on Sam's upper lip. Sam laughs against his mouth ever so slightly and kisses him a little more insistently. Sam's holding Gabriel like he's something precious and it just feels so pure and sweet, like he's a regular at Gabriel's very own coffee shop.

He really needs to stop with the coffee metaphors.

Gabriel is the first to pull back, a secret little smile on his face just for the two of them.

And it's perfect.

 

 

It carries on for months. They don't bring up the ADC or Lucifer or Dean or anything like that; in fact, the whole thing remains unspoken. Little things change for them, but they still function as usual, keeping the act up during the day - Ruby's (albeit mysterious) absence helps a lot - and do the occasional domestic couple things that they never used to when they get time alone in Sam's dorm room. Gabriel still hasn't asked about doing something with the ant infestation in his room, but that isn't mentioned either. It's nice, this new relationship they've developed with one another. It seems as though keeping things unspoken is the way things are always going to be.

That is, until the Christmas party.

Sam doesn't usually go to parties. If he wanted seizure inducing flashing lights, disgusting punch, and the same three songs playing on repeat loud enough to deafen every person in a 5 mile radius, he'd spend a weekend with Dean. But somehow, Gabriel convinces him to go.

Which leads to Sam hiding out in the toilets to try and redeem his inner introvert. He swears he's only gone two minutes, but in that time Gabriel's already managed to get himself trapped in a corner with Kali, AKA the Popular Girl Archetype™ of his year.

"-Kali, I have a boyfriend, sheesh. _Down_ girl."

"I've had enough of this Gabriel. You're either interested or you're not, and you refuse to give me a straight answer-"

"Am I interrupting something?" Sam butts in calmly, even if he can feel every cell in his blood boiling.

Kali huffs. It actually looks like she's rendered Gabriel speechless, which he has to award points for, to be fair to her. She folds her arms, looking up at Sam. "Drop it. I've known this whole 'madly in love' thing was fake from the off." Kali turns back to Gabriel with a new kind of venom. "Now,  _Loki,_ if you actually decide to take me seriously, tomorrow night, room 193. I won't wait around." She pushes past Sam and walks away, her high heels clicking with every step.

Sam looks down at Gabriel with a raised eyebrow, his skin prickling with something white hot. "Do you wanna get out of here?"

Gabriel manages to get enough coherence back to snark at Sam. "Do you use that line on all the girls, Samshine?"

Sam thinks he must be crazy for doing what he does next, but he can't find it within himself to care. He pushes Gabriel right up against that wall and leans over him, his breath ghosting Gabriel's ear. "I was thinking we should go somewhere more secluded, maybe the hideout. Free from prying eyes."

Gabriel shivers at Sam's low tone. " _Fuck,_ kid, you play dirty."

"Is that a yes?"

"Is the pope a catholic? Of course it's a fucking yes!"


	6. Hell Burns Hot

_Things happen fast and slow all at once. Sam looks over Gabriel hungrily, shivering slightly at the cold - or maybe it's just the way Gabriel looks at him. Slowly, he lifts Gabriel up so he's wrapped around Sam like clingfilm, and pulls him in for a kiss. The rest is a blur of skin and the last rays of sunlight guiding their movements._

Sam blinks his eyes open at the trees reaching up above him. The second thing to greet him is Gabriel's frantic mumbling and cursing as he rummages around the hideout. Which is odd, for two reasons. Firstly, because Gabriel rarely ever does anything until at least the afternoon, and secondly, Gabriel is trashing the place.

He sits up and wipes the sleep from his eyes. "Gabe?"

Gabriel doesn't answer, now moving to push over a chair.

"Gabe, what're you looking for?" Sam gets to his feet and goes over to him.

"There... There were 67 pieces of paper up there, and _now_ there are 66. I've counted. I've recounted. One's gone missing, I know it has." The chair thuds to the ground. He breathes heavily. "Can you... Can you help me find it?"

Sam nods slowly. "Just calm down, alright? We'll find it. What's on the paper?"

Gabriel pauses for a moment. "Uh... I don't know. I'll know when I see it." He pulls down some of the lighting hastily. "Can you give me a hand?"

_"Can you give me a hand here, Samsquatch?" Gabriel fumbles a little as he fiddles with his shirt cuffs._

_Sam laughs as he undoes one button. "Y'now, I kinda pictured our first to be more aggressive."_

_"You can have aggressive fucking in a minute. I like this shirt." He kisses his way down the expanse of Sam's neck, laughing slightly._

_Sam chuckles. "And... Got it!" The other shirt cuff comes undone and Gabriel's shirt is hastily dropped to the floor. Making sure he doesn't drop him, Sam gets his own shirt from over his head. He feels relaxed. Comfortable. It's nice._

Sam shakes his head and forces himself to get a grip. "Er, yeah." He reaches up and undoes the lighting from the trees. "How are you even powering these?"

"They have a battery, dummy." Gabriel collects up some of the wires that are piled on the floor. "I should probably look into fixing some of these wires though. One little flame and this whole place goes up."

Sam finishes taking down the lights and looks at Gabriel. "Where do you think it could've fallen?"

"If I knew that Samster, I would have found it."

They search for what feels like hours, and still nothing. The whole hideout is a tip now; pizza boxes, bits of furniture, cushions, little pieces of rubbish all scattered everywhere. Sam can feel his joints aching and his mind whirring as Gabriel yells instruction after instruction at him. It's frustrating both of them, but at this point, Sam's mostly just pissed with Gabriel's antics.  "Are we gonna talk about last night?"

_"We're talking about this tomorrow." Sam says between kisses._

_Gabriel stops a moment. "Do we have to?"_

_Sam sighs and pulls back for a second. "I'd prefer it if we did?" He looks at the ground. "I don't know."_

_Gabriel tilts Sam's chin up to look at him. "Sam? If you don't want this-"_

_"I do, believe me, I want this. You. Um... I want you, I just... don't know if you want me."_

_Gabriel leans up and kisses him to shut him up._

_It works._

"You really think now's the time to talk about this?" Gabriel gives Sam a look. "We have more important things to do."

"What, like search for a bit of paper?" Sam grits his teeth and tries to calm himself down. "Sorry-"

"It's not just some dumb bit of paper, Sam!" Gabriel interrupts. "Trust me Sasquatch, this is more important than whether your dick gets fondled."

"You think I care that we had sex?" Sam almost growls at him. He's so done with this, all of it. It's time he finally comes out with it. "I'm not just some cheap whore you can get kicks out of when you feel like it, so for the love of God, stop treating me like one! I'm a fucking human being, with - believe it or not - actual fucking feelings, okay?"

Gabriel's gaze softens for the first time all morning. He slouches a little and looks at Sam head on. "You're right. I've been an asshole. I'm sorry. but this... It's important to me, Sammy."

"But  _why_ is it so important?" Sam walks over him and looks down at his face. "Why won't you tell me?"

"Because..." He looks at the ground. "Uh... I don't um... I don't... Do this."

_"Why won't you just tell me what you want?" Sam smiles and kisses Gabriel's shoulder. "C'mon, I promise I won't laugh."_

_"No, it's fine, we can just keep it vanilla." He tilts his head back, grinning._

_Sam raises an eyebrow. "Oh c'mon, please?"_

_Gabriel shakes his head. "I don't usually... Um..."_

_Sam tilts Gabriel's head down to look at him. "Not good at asking for what you want?"_

_Gabriel doesn't answer, looking anywhere but Sam._

_Sam smiles reassuringly. "Okay, another time, yeah?"_

"You don't what?" Sam's voice is slightly softer than it was.

Gabriel shrugs, his mood broken. "No, c'mon, let's just find this paper-"

There's a giggle somewhere in the bushes. They both pause and turn to the source, both completely silent. The wind rustles through the trees, making it difficult for Sam to pick out any on particular sound. Nothing. Not another peep. But there was definitely something before.

Gabriel looks at Sam, obviously trying to keep his cool. "Maybe... Maybe we should have the conversation back at the apartment."

Sam nods slowly. "Yeah. Do you wanna take the paper or...?"

"No, we can leave them for one night." It's pretty clear he wants to get out of there as soon as possible. "Wanna take the lead and I'll... Cover the rear?"

Sam laughs nervously. "Just get your ass moving."

 

 

They get back to the apartment quickly, stopping every now and then to check behind themselves (Sam subtly, Gabriel with big swooping head gestures). When the door slams behind them, they both stop to breathe.

"Well paint me yellow and call me a cab." Gabriel laughs breathlessly. "I could use a hot chocolate after that. You game?"

"I'd prefer a coffee." Sam smiles. "I'll make it this time."

"Wow, I am being treated." Gabriel grins and kisses Sam's cheek. "I'll put something on the TV."

* * *

It's over a week later before Sam goes back to the hideout. Looking over it sadly, he starts to tidy it up. The place feels so cold and lifeless without Gabriel there to make a few quips. The light from the moon seeps through the leaves and illuminates the place, making it out to be a very dull and uneasy place for anyone. Matters aren't helped much by the odd rustle of leaves that seemed to have been following a few feet behind him all night. It's starting to make him paranoid.

Something flutters past him face, making him jump. His eyes flicker down to a sheet of paper, with weird scrawls all over it. He frowns and picks it up.

_They approached the ~~run down~~  ramshackle house with trepidation-_

A defined rustle stops him from reading any further. This time he's ready, so he runs for the bush and rummages around, until his hand comes into contact with something plump. He squishes it and tries to get a feel of what it might be. It's quite firm, pretty heavy with a kind of fleshy- oh God.

Sam pulls his hand away and mumbles out a hurried apology, when the figure emerges and stops Sam from saying another word.

Arguably, feeling Ruby's breast was not the best way to start a conversation after not seeing her for months.

"If you wanted me Sammy, you could have just said." Ruby purrs at him and stands so she's a hair width away from him.

"What the hell are you doing here, Ruby?" Sam pushes her back and takes a few backward paces away from her.

Ruby grins. "Well after hearing you and Gabriel-" she says the word like the very sound of it poisons her mouth, "- talking about this place, I knew I just had to do some investigating of my own, and holy shit, this is incredible." She flicks a bit of paper hanging over their heads. "The writing is a load of crap though."

Sam doesn't know why, but that comment offends him in a way he really doesn't wanna think about. "So you took it? That piece of paper?"

Ruby shrugs and pulls it out of her pocket. "It was right there, how could I not?"

Sam snatches it and looks at it quickly, checking it's still intact. It's pretty crumpled, but still readable. He scrunches it up and puts it in his pocket.

"But I've decided I believe you."

Sam's eyes widen involuntarily. "Really?"

"Of course. He's hopelessly in love with you, anyone can see _that._ " She snorts. "Maybe even more than you love him."

Sam blinks at her. "That's... That's great." He smiles, feeling a wave of relief wash over him. He can end this now. He doesn't have to put on an act anymore. They can go back to their normal lives... Except it probably won't feel that normal. Not without Gabriel there hounding over him while he studies, making every law pun he can think of ("Gabriel, can you shut up? I'm trying to revise. Some of us actually want to get into good schools." "Someone's getting a little... Judgy.") and making him crack up every time. Or the way his eyes crinkle when he laughs, or that stupid smirk he has whenever he makes a dirty joke-

Who's he kidding? He's loved Gabriel from day one.

"I guess that means I'll just have to take matters into my own hands." She gets a cigarette out of her pocket and lights it, the smell filing Sam's nose in an instant.

"What?" Sam frowns.

She takes a drag and looks at him. "Do you recall what Gabriel said?"

Sam shakes his head. "When?" His phone vibrates in his pocket, but he ignores it, not taking his eyes off Ruby.

"The wires, dummy." She rolls her eyes.

Sam thinks back, trying to wrack his brain. "Er..."

" _One little flame and this whole place goes up._ " She grins and takes another drag, puffing the smoke into Sam's face.

Sam stares at her. "...What are you saying? You're gonna set this place on fire?"

"That's exactly what I'm going to do, Sam. If you choose wrong, that is..."

"Choose wrong?" Sam can feel his breath coming in shorter. His phone makes another buzz.

Ruby gives him a small grin. "Do you love me, Sam?"

Sam bites his lip, trying to think of the right thing to say. It's weird how much things have changed since a few months prior.

Gabriel tends to have that effect on people.

"No. I'm sorry, I don't love you."

Ruby sighs and gives him a tight smile. "Wrong answer."

Things happen fast. The cigarette flies out of her hand, falls onto the mass of lights on the floor. There's a smell; pungent and awful. And Sam barely has time to think before flames surround them, engulfing the surrounding trees.

Ruby laughs and grins at Sam. "Isn't this what you want Sam? Now we can rot in hell together forever! Just like you always wanted."

Sam looks around frantically, trying to think, trying to breathe and fuck, he never meant for it to go this far and now all of Gabriel's stuff is ruined and he might die in here he could die in here he could die he's going to die he's going to die.

Ruby kisses his cheek. "I think we should get back together."

Sam pushes her off roughly and knocks her to the ground. She lands there, unconscious and bleeding from her head. Sam coughs and carries her over his shoulder, trying to maneuver his way out of the hell blaze Ruby created. His ducks down low and tries not to trip. A few hundred yards. That's all.

The exit in sight, Sam hurries out and lands to the ground, dropping Ruby down next to him, coughing and spluttering. He hastily pulls his phone out of his pocket to call 911.

And that's when he sees it. 7 missed calls. 18 texts. All from Gabriel.

**-Sam! We're out of Cherrios, do you want me to buy some?**

**-Pick up your phoooone**

**-Sam?**

**-Sam answer me**

**-I think you pocket dialed me**

**-Sam I'm scared now answer your phone**

**-I'm coming over there right now**

**-Sam I swear to God**

**-ANSWER YOUR PHONE**

**-SAM I NEED TO KNOW IF YOU'RE ALIVE**

**-SAM PLEASE JUST ANSWER**

**-THE WHOLE FUCKING PLACE IS ON FIRE**

**-I'M GOING IN IN ONE MINUTE IF YOU DON'T ANSWER ME**

**-GET OUT OF THERE YOU MORON**

**-I'M COMING IN**

**-I'VE CALLED THE FIRE BRIGADE, JUST DON'T DIE**

**-TEXT ME BACK YOU ASSHOLE**

**-I LOVE YOU DAMMIT, NOW CAN YOU TEXT BACK?**

 

Sam's face drops in horror.

Gabriel's in there. He's in there because of Sam and it might be too late already.

And then there's a scream, and Sam's heart stops but he can't move and the world is spinning.

"GABRIEL."


	7. Ending on a High Note

The first thing Sam registers is words. Fuzzy, but still there.

"Dean, you can leave Sam alone for one minute. You've haven't peed in a whole day!"

"Cas-"

"I'll keep an eye on him, just go. He'll still be here when you get back."

A beat. "Okay. I'll be gone for 60 seconds."

"And counting, I know, just  _go._ " There's a small beeping noise near Cas and Dean's voices, seeming to fall in a pretty regular pattern. A funny smell couples it nicely, and it doesn't really take a genius to figure out that he's in a hospital, and a posh one at that.

Sam blinks his eyes open, jolting when he sees Cas' face about a foot away from his own.  "Hey, Cas." Sam hears the beeping pick up; he looks to his right at the large heart monitor strapped to him. He pushes himself upright and smiles at Cas, who's backed off a little. "What happened?"

"There was a fire." It comes out very matter-of-fact, and it all comes back to Sam in a rush.

Ruby. The hideout. Gabriel.

Cas carries on talking. "Most of this is just for precaution, you should be allowed to leave by the end of today-"

"Where's Gabriel?"

Cas chews his bottom lip, considering something. "There's major damage to his lungs, particularly the bronchioles. His heart is also a little worse for wear, but it looks like he'll live." Cas stands from the bedside and brushes his hands over the material of his trousers, almost like he's trying to do anything but look Sam in the eyes.

Sam sinks back into the bed, allowing himself to breathe. "Where is he?"

"Room 169." Cas looks at the ceiling. "He's with a woman I've never met before."

Sam thinks back to Ruby and his stomach ties in knots. "Is that safe? I mean, shouldn't-"

"Gabriel has assured me that the woman is just an old friend." Cas butts in, finally meeting Sam's gaze. "He's fine Sam. The Doctors want to keep him another week, but if all goes well, he should be healthy enough to continue school by Monday." He smiles at the sound of footsteps approaching the door. "I'll leave you and Dean alone."

Sam smiles at Cas. "Cas?"

"Yes, Sam?"

Before Sam can go on, Dean's through the door and pulling Sam into a tight hug. "Sammy, are you alright, are you-"

"I'm fine, jeez, I'm _fine._ " Sam grins and hugs him back. "What's with all the hugging?"

"Well y'now, when your little brother nearly burns to death, it kinda raises a few alarm bells. How exactly _did_ you get trapped in a burning forest?" Dean gives him a look, and Sam knows he can't bullshit Dean now.

He pauses, watching as Cas quickly gets out of the room to give them some privacy, before just coming out with it. "So I was at a party..."

* * *

Dean had got him some jeans and an old t-shirt from back at his apartment, with the jacket he was wearing on the day of the fire. Sam's pretty grateful for it, considering how unflattering the hospital gown was, even if he can still vaguely smell the smoke on him.

He stares at the door for a few seconds, not really sure if he wants to do this. He has no idea what Gabriel looks like; not even sure if the flames have burnt off half his face. The thought makes his gut clench. He knocks.

"It's open!"

Sam smiles when he hears Gabriel's chirpy little voice through the door. It motivates him enough to push it open.

Gabriel is sat up on his bed, chowing down on a bowl of ice cream. About half of it has been spread around his (luckily burn-free) face. 

"Sammy!" Gabriel looks at him with wide, contented eyes, a goofy little grin sitting on his face. Sam's heart does a little thud in his chest when Gabriel grins at him.

"Hey, Gabe." Sam smiles wide and sits on the bed next to him. "How's the place treating you?"

Gabriel purses his lips, thinking for a moment. "That's... Not what you want to talk about, is it?"

Sam looks away from him. "I mean... I'm okay with not talking about it-"

"No, you're not." Gabriel sighs. A regretful look crosses his face for a moment. "I've been thinking-"

"Careful."

"Shut up." Gabriel snaps and grins a bit. "Anyway, I've been thinking, and... umm... Being pretty close to death, y'now how people say that your life flashes before your eyes?"

Sam nods, looking back at him.

"Well, that's not really true. Only the important bits. Things you... Regret that you didn't do. And kiddo, I've got a shit ton of regrets, let me tell you. But, er... There's one regret that I had that, I don't know, stuck out?" Gabriel pauses for a moment. He clenches his fists in the bed sheet, squeezing his eyes shut. "And that's... Uh... Fuck, umm..."

"You don't have to say." Sam smiles a little. "If it's too personal, I mean, it's not like-"

"Oh for shit's sake." Gabriel leans over to Sam, and then they're kissing. They're kissing and Sam barely has time to think about what it might mean or if he's allowed to kiss back or if it's different now because it  _is_ different now or maybe-

"Now's the part where you kiss back or push me away, Sam. I can't work with nothing." Gabriel says, smiling against Sam's lips.

He decides that maybe his brain doesn't get a say right now.

Sam's eyes flutter closed, and he hesitantly kisses Gabriel back. He thinks briefly that if his life was a film, this would be the climax, where fireworks are going off in the distance, babies are being born somewhere or another, someone's paying a kick-ass guitar solo, an orphan just found a loving home, the death star was destroyed. As it is, they're in a hospital in a room that smells like an obsessive compulsive's bathroom, kissing on a creaky old bed that probably hasn't been replaced since the 60s.

They pull away when Dean coughs from the other side of the room.

Sam looks at Dean carefully, unable to hide his grin.

"Er... Cas and I are gonna head off... I'll call you later?" Dean gives Gabriel a stern look. 

Sam moves his head so it's in front of Gabriel's, cutting off his gaze. "Sounds great!"

Gabriel sniggers.

Sighing, Dean puts his hand on the door handle. "Just be good, alright?"

Sam nods. "I will be."

Once Dean's fully out of the room, Sam looks back at Gabriel, who's staring at something on the wall. "Gabe?"

Gabriel bites his lip for a moment, the earlier mood clearly forgotten. "I'm just... It doesn't matter. I'm just pretty bummed out"

Sam takes his hand and squeezes it. "I get it. I mean... I never really had anything like that, growing up on the road and all-"

"You were homeless?" Gabriel blinks at Sam.

Sam rubs the back of his neck. "Kinda. I mean, we weren't exactly above the poverty line or anything." He feels heat rise to his face, almost embarrassed that he's admitting this stuff to Gabriel, as if some part of his brain is under the impression that Gabriel is going to see him differently now.

Looking back at the bed sheets, Gabriel fiddles with Sam's fingers. "We were kinda well-to-do, upper class types... It must've been pretty rough."

Sam shrugs. "I wasn't so bad. I mean, I had Dean."

Gabriel nods in understanding. "Yeah... I didn't really, uh... live anywhere for a while. My hideout _was_ my home." He snorts a bit. "I wish I had some of those fucking papers."

Sam freezes before quickly reaching into his pocket. "I guess you're lucky you have me to rely on then." He pulls out a piece of paper - the one that Ruby gave to him when they were in that forest. Sam briefly thanks any God there is that it somehow survived all the drama in-between.

Sam hands it to Gabriel, who un-crumples it with care. It's so agonisingly bittersweet; watching his face morph from confusion to utter relief and heart-wrenching happiness, but clearly distressed by the contents of it.

Sam leans over to read it, glad when Gabriel doesn't stop him.

_Chuck - Ending on a High Note_

_Any chapped-ass monkey with a keyboard can poop out a beginning, but endings are impossible. You try to tie up every loose end, but you never can. The fans are always gonna bitch. There's always gonna be holes. And since it's the ending, it's all supposed to add up to something. I'm telling you, they're a raging pain in the ass._

_So, what's it all add up to? It's hard to say. But me, I'd say this was a test... And I think they did all right. Up against good, evil, angels, devils, destiny, and God himself, they made their own choice. They chose family. And, well... isn't that kinda the whole point?_

Gabriel glances up at Sam, his lip trembling slightly. "This is the one I lost..."

"I know... Ruby, she-" Sam gets pulled into a hug before he can say anything else. He holds Gabriel close to him, cradling his head against his chest. "...Okay, I think that's enough talking for one day."

Gabriel nods against him, his hair tickling Sam's chin. It makes Sam chuckle. "Is this a bad time to say that I love you?"

Now it's Gabriel's turn to laugh. "Jesus kiddo."

"When else was I supposed to-"

"I love you too. Shut up already." Gabriel hugs him tighter.

Sam kisses Gabriel's forehead with a small smile. Yeah, maybe things still aren't perfect, but they're alive. And yeah, maybe endings were never easy for them, but in this moment right now, they're starting their own beginning. And Sam knows just how he wants his beginning to start.

"So, do you wanna grab a coffee sometime?"


End file.
